Missouri veto session will focus on birth-control coverage bill

"When lawmakers officially convene today at the Missouri Capitol for their annual veto session, debate over a woman's access to birth control will likely take center stage.

Republican legislative leaders are confident they have enough votes to overturn Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of a bill that states no employer or health insurance provider can be compelled to provide coverage for contraception, abortion or sterilization if doing so violates their religious or moral convictions.

Supporters frame the debate as an attempt to protect religious liberty and stop the encroachment of government into private businesses. To its critics, however, the legislation is at best a political ploy aimed at rallying the GOP base during an election year, and at worst an attempt to restrict a woman's access to birth control.

The bill was a direct response to an Obama administration policy that requires health insurance plans to cover contraception. The policy includes an exemption for religious organizations."

http://midwestdemocracy.com/articles/missouri-veto-session-will-focus-on-birth-control-coverage-bill/#storylink=cpy